Friday, September 4, 2009

Google offers a free business listing to small businesses at the top of most local search results pages.

Anatomy of a Google search result page:

Listings on the right side bar are paid advertisements, often called "sponsored links"The main body of a search result page are called the "organic" or "natural" search listingsAt the very top in a colored text box are also paid advertisements, sponsored links. Above the organic listings are "Google Local Business Listings"

You will notice a map associated with each listing, this is because Google used the existing infrastructure of Google Maps to implement the free business listings. It's generally thought that Google offered this free service, and gave its location on a search result page prominence above the organic listings because of the popularity of Google's Adwords program.

Adwords is a PPC (pay per click) advertising system where keywords and keyword phrases are bid on in an auction like system.The immense popularity of Adwords priced smaller Mom n Pop stores out of the market due to the ever escalating costs of certain keywords. Google became fearful that it's search platform would be return search results of the "rich and famous" thus reflecting only what the rich and powerful wanted seen on Google search results.

How does Google determine which website should rank higher than another?Google uses a computer program algorithm based on hundreds of factors as the vast size of the internet precludes any human capability of keeping the listings accurate or current. That algorithm is a closely guarded trade secret within Google. Search Engine Optimization Consultants learn what Google apparently likes and doesn't like from the observable behavior of search results.

Google Maps algorithm is different from the algorithm that anoints one site over another. It's also slower to update. If your customers leave glowing reviews of your product or service on the link provided your site will climb in rank. You are permitted up to 10 photos of your product or service, use as many of those slots as possible. Fill out as much information about your business as space allotted provides, being verbose is better than being succinct when it comes to Google Local Business Listings

Many small businesses get leads and interested inquiries from a local business listing even if they don't have a website url. Still other small businesses find it unnecessary to have their company listed anywhere other than the top local business listings. If your listing falls in ranking or is bumped out of it's spot by a newcomer and you find your company losing sales because of it, you may want to outsource your rankings management to a local search engine optimization firm.

The fees involved for a local business listing may be less than the fees for improving your company website's organic listing.

What Determines Google Rank?Ever wonder why your companies listing in Google does OK in the main body of Google's search results page but is not in the top 10 of those pesky Google Local Business Listings?

Ultimately what you want is to be found in BOTH sets of listings, the net effect of which would be to drive home in your prospective customers Mind's Eye that Google apparently thinks pretty highly of your company if Google is displaying YOUR company listing in the Local Business Listings and in the Organic Search Rankings.

Well, people's perception and Google's reality are far, far apart.

Google didn't *pick* you to be #1 and your competitor to be #11

A computer program picked you over the hapless fella you compete with. A person did not visit your site, take notes, compare notes, make a descion, hear the belly aching and whining of the poor fool who got bumped off of his front page listed by a website that ranked better than his...

nope, an algorithm picked you over them.

Think about it... there are what? a Gazillion webpages already indexed in Google? And how many tens of thousands of new webpages being created as we speak? Some of those tens of thousands are being "generated" by a "bot".

There is no way on God's Green Earth a staff of humans could possibly keep up with that kind of volume. An algorithm did it. The robot that scours the Internet (in the SEO industry we call that "spidering") is titled GoogleBot.

GoogleBot Can't Really *Read*

GoogleBot can NOT read... but it CAN count

Googlebot counts the words on your webpage, it counts the keywords and keyword phrases you use in your copy. Is your company website a little light on copy? Too bad for you.

It matters little to Googlebot if the fancy flash graphic and dramatic digital photos depicting your most important product are... well the damn thing can't decipher a photo! but it CAN read text. This little fact seems to be lost on web designers. What ever makes your photos good, better or best and likewise your competitors photos crappy is subjective. Art is subjective, math is not.

Either the keywords are on your webpage (Prominently placed at the top of the page I hope) or the keywords are not.

He who has the most keywords (elegantly, tactfully and deftly constructed with proper enough grammar for the spell checking programmed Googlebot to index).. Wins that coveted top spot!

But... the Google Local Business Listings are a different story. The algo is different.

What Google is looking for and rewards when it sees it for the organic search results page (the body of the page) is one thing. What Googlebot is looking to see in the Free Local Google Advertising Listings is quite another.

I'm not about to reveal the entire loophole in a "Google Secrets Revealed" post, not even for a hefty $1000 fee for an ebook (I'd do it for that price if it were ticket sales to a seminar and I got a couple dozen of you to buy $1000 tickets to eagerly learn how I do what it is I do) (that's in the works by the way)

No, I'm not telling, not the whole thing but I will give you a hint, and I'm giving said hint in the form of my own Maryland search engine optimization results. This is not theory, This is not alleged, What follows is battle tested.

I'm competing against the best of the best, the top guys and gals in Maryland: other SEO professionals. Link building technicians like me:)

Here Goes, you figure it out:

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Marketing businesses using Google Page Rank - Al - May 12, 2009

I have been in the marketing business for nearly 35 years and have seen just about everything but I am very impressed with David's knowledge of the internet and search engines;knowledge he uses it to get customer top "organic" page rank across a wide variety of business and organizations...and he techniques show actual page rank in a matter of weeks! He has worked with me for 3 weeks and my company is already establishing itself on a page rank basis. I « Hide

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Thanks to Frederick Web Promotions - Stuart - Jul 23, 2009

Frederick web promotions has helped my videography skills become noticed by companies such as the Discovery Channel. With out the help of Frederick Web Promotions more than likely this wouldn't have been possible this soon because the Discovery Channel found me using a google search on Outdoor Videographers a keyword David Bruce and I picked out. He is also a great person to work with because he is so friendly and knowledgeable about web promotions/ promoting. I would definitely recommend him to friends, family, and other businesses.

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Made a profit on the promotion within 2 months! - joesuph - Jul 21, 2009

I'm VERY pleased with David's expertise, it was well beyond what we expected. David is very knowledgable, friendly provides excellent customer service. « Hide

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Search Engine Domination!!! - Josh - Jun 8, 2009

David has been amazing. He has taken our small business site and kept us at the top in search engines in the areas that most help our business. He's been so effective that we've decided to remove our phone book advertising, saving us a ton of money and increasing our advertising exposure. Great communication and stays on the ball. We couldn't be happier! « Hide

David grabbed us the #1 spot in Google for Maryland Commercial Cleaning. David has been more than a search engine optimization expert for us teaching our organization social media marketing skills « Hide

I have been consulting with David Bruce for several weeks about my website. He has worked with me to developed a SEO and marketing strategy that is working very well. At the time of this review one of my businesses is dominating the first page of Google with 4 top spots for the targeted keywords. I am very impressed with the knowledge and understanding that David possesses about SEO and marketing in general. He is an analytical thinker and it shows in his knowledge of how Google and the other search engines work to rank a website. I am always amazed at how many different approaches he can come up with to obtain the desired results for my business. If you want to hit home runs with your internet advertising give David a call to get start. David knows what it takes to dominate the search engines and he will take the time to find out exactly what your goals are so that he can work to achieve them for you. « Hide

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Effective website promotion! - Christopher - Jan 13, 2009

I had a website that did not rank in google at all. I never received any phone calls from new customers. Since Dave took over my site, I have steadily ranked on the first page when searched under Frederick Maryland printers. This has increased my new customer calls from zero to at least one a day. At this rate, I will quadruple my sales this year. « Hide

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Gets the job done right! - Josh - Jan 13, 2009

We never had any website whatsoever. David contacted us and offered to publish us a site through a local website. We have been working closely with him since, and I can say that even a small page with David really carries a bang for the buck. Just our small advertising page has netted us curious customer both via phone and e-mail, and we look forward to improving and increasing the possibilities the that David and the internet offer our business! « Hide

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Great Service... Highly Recommend! - Pete - Jan 16, 2009

David provided friendly and quality info that helped me dominate local search engine results in no time. If you are looking for LOCAL search marketing knowledge, David is your man! Very good return on investment... Thanks Again David! « Hide

With just a few tweaks and ideas, I was able to get to the top 10 of googles results pages. I am really glad I let David give my site a whirl.?

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Read between the lines here, while I'm flattered by the reviews my clients have gone to the trouble of posting(and breaking my arm patting my self on the back with this shameless self promotion), can you reverse engineer what I just did to get your company website Google ranking results?

Of course you can, just link back to my main site. If you need more help my contact information is everywhere (I'm in the publicity business, if you cant find me, I've not done my job!

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